Stolen Innocence: Defiled and assaulted at 10 years

Mary (not her real name), a 10 year old girl, left home at around 6pm on a Friday evening to escort her friend never to be seen again. Her parents got worried and started looking for her all over in Nyamasaria town Kisumu in vain. We managed to interview the father who broke down and could not continue with the interview session but according to Mary’s mother, the girl knocked at a lady’s door at around 3am. The old lady knew her parents and supported Mary back home at around 5am. She had been assaulted and defiled. She had knife-stab marks around her neck, a scar on the back of her head, marks on her lips and her face was swollen. In the process the old woman told them that the child was defiled and unable to walk. The father went on to report the case at Nyamasaria police station while the mother rushed her to the hospital. The doctor that saw her at the onset refused to carry on with the case. But another doctor took over and Mary’s mother gave an account of the events of that morning. The mother disclosed Mary’s report of how a boda boda motorist had offered her a lift after which she could not recall where the man took her and rapped her. The mother said Mary’s account of the story was not very clear since she was hysterical and didn’t want anyone near her. We were not able to interview Mary since she was too traumatized and still in shock. The Doctor confirmed that the girl was defiled and they had put her on Post exposure prophylaxis (PEP) to take care of the risk of HIV infection. The Doctor also found traces of grass and soil inserted in the girl’s privates. Due to the girl’s swollen head and face; a CT scan or an MRI was to be done but unfortunately the parents could not afford the cost of the tests. KMET got in touch with the Kisumu County Gender Technical Working Group who came onboard to offer assistance. Due to these interventions, with the help of FIDA and PLAN international there was a resolution to airlift Mary to Nairobi women’s hospital for specialized treatment. KMET offered to Fuel the ambulance and psychosocial support to both the parents who were evidently traumatized and the girl when she gets back. The man who damaged Mary’s happy childhood life is still at large, how many more young kids will fall his prey?